Flexibility, Opportunities Woo Schools

Two years ago, just three Virginia high schools used block schedules similar to the ones adopted at Bethel High in Hampton and Lafayette High in James City County this year.

By the beginning of the current school year, that number had grown nearly tenfold.

Educational researchers and administrators at schools that use similar schedules aren't surprised by the increase. They say block scheduling mean more opportunity for student, more flexibility for teachers and fewer discipline problems - all at little or no cost.

At Orange County High School, 95 percent of teachers and 68 percent of students surveyed last year said they preferred the block schedule to the traditional system, says curriculum coordinator Clarence "Skip" Edwards.

"We surveyed students and teacher at the beginning and at the end of the year," he says. "They were overwhelmingly in favor of what we had done."

Edwards said more students get A's in their classes now, with fewer students getting C's and D's. The number of B's has stayed about the same, and the number of F's has increased slightly.

That's about what the administrators expected - most students do well with the new schedule, but those who can't handle fast-paced classes may have trouble, he said.

"What we're concluding is that students who don not keep up or are not well organized are more likely to not receive credit," Edwards said. "That's probably the way it should be."

At Pulaski County High School, student have earned 15 to 18 percent more A's and B's and 15 to 18 percent fewer D's and F's, said Principal Thomas DeBolt. Suspensions and other disciplinary actions are down by more than one-third, and attendance has increased slightly.

More than 90 percent of teachers and students say they prefer the new schedule, he said.

"Everybody's opinion of this is real positive," DeBolt said. "As each year goes by, and we keep working on staff development, the results just keep getting stronger."

DeBolt added that 130 school districts from throughout the eastern United States have sent delegations to his school to learn about block scheduling.

Michael Rettig, an assistant professor at James Madison University who is studying different uses of time in schools, said nearly all of the 28 Virginia schools using the block schedule similar to Lafayette's report positive results. Some of the strengths Rettig sees in the block schedule: Students concentrate on four classes rather than six or seven as they do in a traditional schedule; teachers are encouraged to assign more hands-on work involving computers and lab equipment; and students can take eight courses per year instead of six or seven.

And teachers teach three courses per day with the block schedule, rather than four or five classes per day as they did before, he said.

That means they see fewer students each day and can give each student more attention.